1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to testing and more particularly relates to testing a change in knowledge based on exposure to educational material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Students are often presented with educational material to teach them information on a subject or a skill. After the presentation of the educational material, students are generally tested to determine how well the student knows the subject or to measure the student's skill. With students coming from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and educational levels, it is often difficult to determine effectiveness of the educational material. In certain situations, such as certifying for a skill or degree, where and how the student gained the knowledge may not be relevant. However, the effectiveness of different methods and types of educational material in helping a student to learn is often of interest. For example, the designers of educational material may like to know how to improve the material and purchasers of the material would like to see proof about what material is best.
Using the method of a lecture or presentation of educational material followed by a test, as described above, gives little understanding of the effectiveness of a teaching method or of educational material, or any improvements in knowledge made by a student. For example, a good score on a test only shows that the student knows the correct answer, not when or how he or she learned the correct answer, or if the educational material presented improved the student's knowledge. It is possible that the student already knew the answers prior to the presentation or lecture and learned very little. Alternatively, a moderate score on the test may indicate that the student began with little knowledge on a subject and learned a fair amount, or that the student already knew a fair amount and learned little. Thus, this method provides little, if any, information about the effectiveness of the particular educational material.